World number one Scottie Scheffler lost his temper after slicing his tee shot into the rough on the 17th hole during the final round of The Open. The defending champion, visibly frustrated, bellowed: "What?! Why can...how does that even happen? The ball's slicing. One bounce! One bounce!" He dropped to his knees, seething, then doubled over in exasperation.
Recovery and Rules Discussion
Scheffler's recovery attempt went awry, sending the ball toward the hospitality tent. He then took a provisional drop and found the gallery on his second try. Unable to locate his original ball, he consulted with a rules official and his caddie, Ted Scott. It was determined that the original ball was on a temporary immovable object, allowing Scheffler to take a drop without locating the ball precisely. He measured two club lengths from the edge of the object and dropped within the second length.
Birdie on 17th
Despite the setback, Scheffler responded admirably, finding the green with a well-judged approach shot and converting a birdie on the par-five 17th. This pulled him within one shot of the clubhouse lead.
Final Round Performance
The 18th hole proved less fruitful; Scheffler settled for par after two putts, finishing with a final round 67 and a tournament total of seven under par. He said: "I was proud of how I fought today. Wish I got more out of it. I did my best." Reflecting on the unusual situation, he added: "That was a shot I would not typically play from over there. You can't see anything. Don't know how it's going to come out. Maybe I should do it more often?!"
Overall Tournament
Scheffler struggled with putting consistency throughout the tournament, despite creating many chances. After day two, he said: "I did a lot of good stuff. I gave myself a lot of opportunities. Wish I holed a few more putts." He expressed confidence in his game: "I feel good that I can compete when things aren't going my way. I'm very pleased about where my swing's at and I'm excited to give it another go next week."
His performance at The Open was an improvement over the previous week, where he failed to make the cut at the Scottish Open.
